Score Card

The Score Card, designed by Harry Mabs and manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in 1940, is a notable example of early flipperless electro-mechanical pinball. Predating the flipper era by seven years, it relies entirely on skillful plunging and table mechanics rather than player-controlled flippers, showcasing the mechanics and gameplay conventions that were standard for pinball at the time.

One of the Score Card's most distinctive aspects is its use of scorecards on the backglass. The machine features four sets of cards (A to D) that correspond to numbered rollovers and bumpers on the playfield. When a player completes any card, all of the playfield's spring bumpers are re-lit so that they score a replay when hit. The Special rollover increases in award value each time it is scored, and lights for a replay after being scored three times. Replays are also awarded for high scores between 30,000 and 39,000 points, at operator-selectable 1,000-point levels.

The Score Card's cabinet includes a replay knock-off button on the bottom, allowing operators to award replays at their discretion, and the game can be set for either Novelty Play or Free Play (Replay) mode, giving operators flexibility in how it is offered to players. As an early Gottlieb flipperless title from 1940, the Score Card is a useful piece for understanding pinball scoring mechanics in the years just before the flipper's introduction.